“Ah, true, true,” Aubrey says. “Damn, see, now there’s one Scott brother I wouldn’t mind hooking up with!”
Josh could pretty much pass for being Preston’s twin. There are only a few small details in their facial features that differ. For one, Preston has no facial hair. He has never even grown a mustache. Joshua, on the other hand, has a very trimmed goatee. He also has blue eyes, while Preston’s are a hazel-brown hue. And they’re so dreamy. Like I will always say, he’s my modern-day James Dean.
My… my nothing. I don’t have him. Sure is nice to dream though.
I laugh lightly. “He’s in college.”
Her eyes light up. “Even better.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Preston
I’m so excited for tomorrow night, I can barely stand it. It’s hard to concentrate on this algebra homework when all I want to do is rock out to some tunes I’ll be hearing tomorrow night live with my brother and my best friend.
It’s going to be so much fun. Maybe it’s not so bad that Harleigh is not going to be there. Fuck, she looked so cute today. She had on a white denim short skirt with a cute black top. That and the way she smiled as she was speaking to Aubrey made my desire for her grow even more.
I had to look away. I was sitting outside of school on the steps with Cory, going over some notes from English class. I couldn’t help my stare. I had just seen her right as the bell rang for fourth period. As it just so happens, her class—biology—is right across the hall from mine, so I see her on a daily basis. Then, and again at lunchtime. We have sixth period lunch together. And even though we don’t sit at the same table, I can see her from across the lunchroom.
I jot down an answer to question number four as Josh walks into the room and slams the door behind him. It causes me to jump.
“What the hell?” I turn around in time to see Josh plop onto his bed. He waves a hand at me.
“Don’t.”
“What’s wrong, dude?”
He lets out a long drawn-out sigh and finally sits up. He hangs his head down and runs his hands through his hair. Then he looks up at me with red-rimmed eyes.
“Yo, whose ass do I need to beat?”
He lets out a soft chuckle and shakes his head. “Nah, man. It’s nothing like that.” He lets out another deep breath.
I get up from my seat, walk toward him, and sit to his left. My brother rarely gets upset. What the hell happened? I had just spoken to him about two hours ago, right before he was supposed to be at work. Oh, no… shit. Did he get fired?
“Something happen at work?”
He shakes his head. “I didn’t even make it in. As I was on my way there, I got a phone call from Courtney.”
Uh-oh. Trouble in paradise. I want to chuckle, but I’m guessing it is not the time for jokes. “What happened?”
“She was in tears, hysterical. She was full-out bawling over the phone and asked me to go see her… Her father was in a fatal accident at work.”
“What! Oh my God, that’s horrible, Josh. I’m so sorry.”
“Me too.” The defeat in his eyes is evident, and I know the reason why he was crying was not only because of Mr. Van Buren’s death but because he had to see the girl he loves so wrecked and heartbroken. It really killed him.
“What happened?” I ask.
“There was an explosion… Something went wrong. They’re trying to investigate now, but he was in the middle of it.” Josh takes the back of his left hand and wipes away at a tear.
Mr. Van Buren has worked on the oil rig for as long as we can remember. Ever since we’ve known the Van Burens, he’s always been there.
Poor Courtney. I know how close her family has always been. I can’t imagine what this is doing to them. I can’t imagine what it’s like to get news that one of your parents has been killed while at work, but then again, death is no stranger to me and my family.
“How could I not go see her? I had to. She’s my best friend. I would do anything for her. I only left because she asked me to grab some stuff to spend the night with her.”
“Jesus, man. I’m so sorry. I don’t even know what to say.”
Josh places a hand on my shoulder. “Thanks, li’l bro. Sometimes there aren’t any words you can say to make things better. You just have to be there for someone, and that’s what I’m going to do for Courtney. I’m going to be there for her.”
I nod. “You’re a great friend to her. She’s lucky to have you.”
He smiles. “And I’m lucky to have you as my brother.”
We’re silent for a few moments before he finally stands to go get his duffel bag out of the closet.
“I’m not sure when I’ll be back. I’ll call Mom on my way to Court’s. Probably in four or five days? I want to be there for her every step of the way. She’s going to need me.”
I can’t even imagine what this must be like for her and, now, my brother. Yet I know exactly what it’s like to lose someone too soon. Memories of Alyse slam into the front of my mind’s eyes faster than a speeding bullet. Tears form in my eyes.
I shake my head and try to think of anything but the past. It’s too painful, so I go ahead and say the stupidest thing I can think of at the moment. “I guess you guys are skipping the concert.”
Josh turns around to face me with furrowed brows. “Of course, man. This is way more important. You take the tickets. See about inviting some more of your friends.”
“Are you sure?” I feel wrong. We’ve all known Courtney and her family for the longest time. How is it cool for us to party and have a good time when they’re dealing with something like this?
“Of course. You can come to the wake and even the funeral if you’d like to pay your respects, but those won’t be for a few days to a week even. There are a lot of arrangements that need to be taken care of. Plus, I don’t think it’s a good idea for a lot of people to bombard them right now, you know? You remember how it was.”
Again the past comes barging back to me. I shake my head. “Yeah, I do.”
He nods his head and then quickly turns back to his task at hand and continues packing.
***
Half an hour later, I arrive at Cory’s house. He only lives two blocks over, but I wanted to make sure Josh was fine before leaving. He was, thankfully. My brother has always been strong when it comes to difficult times like these—more than I ever have.
“Hey, man. What’s up?” Cory says, opening the door for me.
I look over his shoulder and see Harleigh and her friend, Aubrey, sitting at the table looking at some magazine. I don’t say anything to them, just wave. They wave back. Aubrey turns her head away from me, but Harleigh still gazes at me. I don’t want to break this moment, but I know if I stare for much longer, it’ll be weird. Then I notice Aubrey nudge Harleigh gently on the arm, and her eyes finally leave mine. It hurts.
“Dude?” Cory asks, bringing my attention back to him.
I shake my head. “Hey, Cor. May I come in?”
He looks at me like I’m crazy. Moving out of the way, he says, “Of course, man. Come in. Are you all right? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”